Easter reminded me of another miracle—eggs. Let me explain. There may be no food more effective on a cost basis. Here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a dozen eggs goes for about $3.00, or 25 cents each, and there are grocery stores everywhere you turn. If you have two a day, you’re spending 50 cents. Ground beef is about $4.00 a pound, which a family of four will go through in a day, or $1.00 per person. Therefore, ground beef—while tastier—is twice as expensive. This is one of the secrets of the restaurant industry. If you get a breakfast trade going, you have a “gusher”.

Personally, I think the taste and versatility of eggs are even more miraculous than the price. I don’t need to flavor them at all if they’re soft-boiled, and just a tiny bit if they’re fried, scrambled or “shirred” with milk as the English do.

Unlike ground beef, a dozen eggs will keep a couple of weeks with little effect on flavor. You can’t get any fresh meat to last as long.

Also, an old Englishman friend of the family introduced me to “eggie” when I was a child. It’s about anything in the refrigerator, sautéed and then mixed with a couple of eggs. After a holiday, such as Thanksgiving, this can become a week-long feast.

So, along with vegetables in my much touted 1:25 ratio, some of the basic foods are still quite a bargain if you get the hang of it. Milk remains at the near-miraculous level of about $2.50 a gallon, which is a godsend to a young family of four.

Add an egg to your soup for supper and you can “live large” on three a day.

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on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Original Posts.
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